Puncture needle cartridge and lancet for blood collection

ABSTRACT

A lancet is pressed against a puncture needle cartridge while fitting a puncture needle loading inlet of the lancet to the axis of a puncture needle on the puncture needle cartridge. In order to facilitate the operation, one of plural puncture needles, arranged in parallel, is tilted up from its initial position at a predetermined angle, and the puncture needle is guided into a puncture needle holding rod of the lancet. Simultaneously, the puncture needle is pressed up to a position where the rear end part of the needle pushes the bottom surface of a puncture needle loading chamber of the puncture needle holding rod, whereby the puncture needle is loaded. When discarding a used puncture needle, the puncture needle is inserted into a lancet guide member of the puncture needle cartridge, whereby the puncture needle is reliably captured to be discarded.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a puncture needle cartridge and alancet for blood collection. More particularly, the invention relates toa lancet for blood collection, which is used for measuring blood sugaror the like, and has a construction for taking out a plurality ofpuncture needles one after another, and a puncture needle cartridge forthe lancet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A diabetic measures blood sugar several times a day by himself/herself.During the measurement, the diabetic must collect a small amount ofblood from a fingertip or the like. For this purpose, as shown in FIG.13, a disposable puncture needle 105 is attached to an instrument calleda lancet 101, and a fingertip or arm is punctured with the needle 105,and blood collected from the punctured region is used for measurement.

The common lancet 101 comprises a cylindrical body 130, and a cap 153.The cylindrical body 130 is provided with a first spring 132 forprojecting the attached puncture needle 105, a second spring 134 forbacking off the projected puncture needle 105, and an injection button117 for releasing the compressed first spring 132.

The lancet 101 is used as follows. Initially, the cap 153 is removedfrom the cylindrical body 130, and the puncture needle 105 is attachedto the cylindrical body 130, and then the cap 153 is again put on thecylindrical body 130. Then, the first spring 132 is compressed to setthe lancet 101 in a state where puncture is possible, and a puncturetarget pressing surface 136 of the cap 153 is applied to a target to bepunctured, such as a fingertip. When the injection button 107 is pushed,the puncture needle 105 is projected to puncture the target. After thepuncture, the puncture needle 105 is immediately removed from thefingertip or the like by the second spring 134. Through theabove-mentioned operations, blood is collected. It is very dangerousfrom a hygienic perspective to reuse the once-used puncture needle 105,and therefore, it is necessary to replace the puncture needle 105 with anew one at next use. (Refer to Japanese Published Patent Application No.2000-237172).

On the other hand, there is a lancet which holds a plurality of punctureneedles, and performs puncture using these puncture needles one by onein turn. After the puncture, the puncture needles can be individuallyremoved from the lancet. This lancet utilizes the elasticity of a flatspring attached to the puncture needle as a driving means forreciprocating the puncture needle. (Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,926).

By the way, the user believes that the many stages of manual operationusing the conventional lancet system, i.e., the above-mentioned punctureneedle and puncture operation steps, are troublesome. Therefore, theuser is apt to use a once-inserted puncture needle several times forpuncture and blood collection. It should be avoided for hygienic reasonsto use one puncture needle several times, especially, using one punctureneedle for two or more persons. Such situation might occur in, forexample, a clinic or a hospital, and a case where a child uses theonce-used puncture needle by mistake cannot be excluded.

On the other hand, since a puncture needle is manufactured as asingle-use needle, the needle tip becomes dull in a short time if it isused several times, and therefore, successive use of the puncture needlecauses more pain to the patient. Furthermore, it is feared that theconventional puncture needle cannot be accurately inserted into theconventional lancet. Further, when the puncture needle and the lancetare improperly used, the user might be wounded.

As described above, in the conventional lancet system, there is a dangerthat the user might be wounded in his fingertip with the used punctureneedle when replacing the puncture needle. Further, since the patientmeasures blood sugar several times a day, replacement of the punctureneedle is very troublesome for the patient. Especially, it is a seriousprogram for a patient who is visually handicapped due to complicationsassociated with diabetes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is made to solve the above-described problems andhas for its object to provide a lancet needle cartridge and a lancet forblood collection which provide a simple construction and simpleoperation for blood collection during blood sugar measurement, therebyimproving the handleability of puncture needles.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe detailed description that follows. The detailed description andspecific embodiments described are provided only for illustration sincevarious additions and modifications within the scope of the inventionwill be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detaileddescription.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda puncture needle cartridge, wherein a plurality of puncture needles,each being integrally formed by plastic molding, are arranged in a lineon a single substrate, with front ends thereof being integrallyplastic-molded with the substrate. Rear ends of the respective punctureneedles are open-terminated. Therefore, when puncturing a surface of aliving body using a puncture needle, the puncture operation is carriedout without exposing the puncture needle at every puncture, and thepuncture needles can be continuously loaded on a lancet body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the first aspect, the substrate has a sidesurface in its longitudinal direction on which the plural punctureneedles are arranged in parallel. Therefore, when puncturing a surfaceof a living body using a puncture needle, the puncture operation iscarried out without exposing the puncture needle at every puncture, andthe puncture needles can be continuously loaded on a lancet body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the first aspect, the plural punctureneedles are independent of one another; and the front ends of therespective puncture needles are connected to the substrate withflexibility so that one of the puncture needles, which are arranged inparallel within one plane, can be tilted downward or upward to a statewhere the puncture needle intersects the plane. Since the punctureneedles are tilted up one by one, the puncture needles can be easily setone by one into a predetermined position without being bothered by theadjacent puncture needles.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the first aspect, when each punctureneedle is separated from the substrate, a needle portion of the punctureneedle is exposed, and a cap which has covered the puncture needleremains integrally-connected to the substrate. Since, after a punctureneedle is removed, caps of adjacent puncture needles are all integratedwith each other, dispersion of the caps to be wastes is prevented, andthe volume of wastes can be made compact.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the first aspect, the substrate has, on aside surface thereof, a mechanism for capturing and holding a usedpuncture needle. Therefore, the used puncture needle can be easilydiscarded.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the fifth aspect, the substrate has theused puncture needle holding mechanism at a side surface that isperpendicular to the side surface on which the plural puncture needlesare arranged within one plane. Therefore, the used puncture needle canbe easily and accurately discarded.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the fifth aspect, a lancet that holds aused puncture needle is pressed against the used puncture needle holdingmechanism provided at the side surface of the substrate. After the usedpuncture needle holding mechanism captures the used puncture needle,holding of the used puncture needle by the lancet is released, and thelancet is moved backward, whereby the used puncture needle holdingmechanism holds the used puncture needle. Therefore, the used punctureneedle can be safely discarded without manually touching it.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the fifth aspect, when a used punctureneedle that is held by the puncture needle holding mechanism provided atthe side surface of the substrate is externally pressed by a usedpuncture needle that is held by the lancet, the previously used punctureneedle that is held by the holding mechanism is dropped into a waste boxof the puncture needle cartridge to be discarded. Therefore, thepuncture operation is carried out without exposing the puncture needleat every puncture, and the puncture needles can be continuously loadedon a lancet body.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the eighth aspect, an inner bottom of apuncture needle holding rod provided in the lancet, which rod holds therear end of the puncture needle, has a rotation prevention mechanismthat serves as a rotation stop for the rear end of the puncture needlewhen the puncture needle is twisted to exposes the cap at the front endof the puncture needle. Therefore, it is possible to accurately separatethe rear half portion of the puncture needle to hold it with a lancet,by capturing the puncture needle with the lancet and then accuratelytwisting off a portion of the puncture needle between the needle sideand the lancet side.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the punctureneedle cartridge according to the eighth aspect, the puncture needlehas, in the center thereof, a stopping concave part for holding the rearpart of the puncture needle with puncture needle holding claws of thepuncture needle holding mechanism provided in the lancet, and separatingthe rear part of the puncture needle from the front part thereof.Therefore, the lancet can reliably hold the rear part of the punctureneedle and separate the rear part from the front part of the punctureneedle.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the eighth aspect, the substratehas an insertion slot connected to the waste box through which a usedbiological data measurement sensor that has been used for measurement ofbiological data from the collected blood is dropped. Therefore, thevolume of waste can be made compact.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a blood collection lancet for performing puncture using apuncture needle that is taken out of the puncture needle cartridgeaccording to the first aspect. The lancet body is moved from the rearend side of the puncture needle toward the puncture needle in thedirection of the axis of the puncture needle to insert the punctureneedle in the lancet and automatically hold the needle by the lancet.The puncture needle is pulled backward to expose the front end of thepuncture needle from the puncture needle cap that is integrally moldedwith the puncture needle cartridge, thereby attaching and holding thepuncture needle. Therefore, the puncture needle can be reliablyseparated and removed by the lancet.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a puncture needle cartridge comprising a bottom case in which aplurality of puncture needles are arranged in parallel, an end of eachpuncture needle being integrally connected to an inner wall of thebottom case. A slide cover that is slidably provided with respect to thebottom case so as to close an upper opening of the bottom case. Theslide cover has a convex portion at an end of a puncture needle supportthat is integrated with the slide cover and supports the punctureneedles from the bottom, which convex portion pushes up the pluralpuncture needles one by one at a predetermined angle when the slidecover slides along the bottom case. Therefore, when attaching a punctureneedle onto a lancet, only a target puncture needle is pushed up,whereby replacement of puncture needles can be safely and easily carriedout without being bothered by adjacent puncture needles.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the thirteenth aspect, the bottomcase has, at a side surface thereof, a mechanism for capturing andholding a used puncture needle. Therefore, the used puncture needle canbe easily discarded.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the fourteenth aspect, the bottomcase has the used puncture needle holding mechanism at a side surfacethat is perpendicular to the side surface on which the plural punctureneedles are arranged within one plane. Therefore, the used punctureneedle can be easily and accurately discarded.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the fifteenth aspect, a lancetthat holds a used puncture needle is pressed against the used punctureneedle holding mechanism provided at the side surface of the substrate.After the used puncture needle holding mechanism captures the usedpuncture needle, holding of the used puncture needle by the lancet isreleased, and the lancet is moved backward, whereby the used punctureneedle holding mechanism holds the used puncture needle. Therefore, theused puncture needle can be safely discarded without manually touchingit.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the fifteenth aspect, when a usedpuncture needle that is held by the puncture needle holding mechanismprovided at the side surface of the substrate is externally pressed by aused puncture needle that is held by the lancet, the previously usedpuncture needle that is held by the holding mechanism is dropped into awaste box of the puncture needle cartridge to be discarded. Therefore,the puncture operation is carried out without exposing the punctureneedle at every puncture, and the puncture needles can be continuouslyloaded on a lancet body.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the seventeenth aspect, thebottom case has an insertion slot connected to the waste box throughwhich a used biological data measurement sensor that has been used formeasurement of biological data from the collected blood is dropped.Therefore, the volume of waste can be made compact.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in thepuncture needle cartridge according to the seventeenth aspect, thebottom case and the plural puncture needles are integrallyplastic-molded, and a junction between them has flexibility. Therefore,the puncture needle can be reliably separated and removed by a lancet.

As described above, according to the present invention, a bloodcollecting operation during measurement of blood sugar can be carriedout safely with a simple construction and a single operation.Particularly, the conventional puncture operation is very dangerousbecause a cap at the tip of a puncture needle is removed directly withhands to attach the puncture needle to a lancet every time measurementof blood sugar is carried out. Further, after the measurement iscompleted, the cap is put on the tip of the puncture needle to discardthe needle. In the present invention, the above-mentioned operation isdispensed with. That is, attachment of a puncture needle onto a lancetcan be carried out easily and safely. Further, discarding of a usedpuncture needle can also be carried out safely, and moreover, abiological data measurement sensor that has been used for obtainingbiological data from the blood collected by the puncture needle can beeasily and safely discarded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a lancet for blood collectionaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2( a) is a lateral cross-sectional view illustrating the innerstructure of the lancet according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2( b) is an upper cross-sectional view illustrating the innerstructure of the lancet according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a puncture needle cartridge inuse according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4( a) is a diagram illustrating a method of loading a punctureneedle from the puncture needle cartridge according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4( b) is a diagram illustrating a method of loading a punctureneedle from the puncture needle cartridge according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4( c) is a diagram illustrating a method of loading a punctureneedle from the puncture needle cartridge according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4( d) is an external perspective view illustrating a method ofloading a puncture needle from the puncture needle cartridge accordingto the first embodiment.

FIG. 5( a) is a diagram illustrating a method of operating the bloodcollection lancet for preparation for puncture according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 5( b) is a diagram illustrating a method of operating the lancetfor the puncture needle cartridge for preparation for puncture accordingto the first embodiment.

FIG. 5( c) is a diagram illustrating a method of operating the lancetfor the puncture needle cartridge for preparation for puncture accordingto the first embodiment.

FIG. 6( a) is a diagram illustrating an operation for discarding apuncture needle of the lancet for the puncture needle cartridgeaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6( b) is a diagram illustrating an operation for discarding apuncture needle of the lancet for the puncture needle cartridgeaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a puncture operation by thelancet for the puncture needle cartridge according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a puncture needle cartridgeaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view illustrating the puncture needlecartridge with a slide cover being removed according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 10( a) is an external perspective view of the slide cover of thepuncture needle cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10( b) is a diagram for explaining the operation of the punctureneedle cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10( c) is a diagram for explaining the operation of the punctureneedle cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10( d) is a diagram for explaining the operation of the punctureneedle cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10( e) is a diagram for explaining the operation of the punctureneedle cartridge according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11( a) is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a punctureneedle that is held by the puncture needle cartridge to the lancetaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11( b) is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a punctureneedle that is held by the puncture needle cartridge to the lancetaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11( c) is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching a punctureneedle that is held by the puncture needle cartridge to the lancetaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view illustrating the puncture needlecartridge with the slide cover being closed according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the conventional lancet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a lancet for blood collectionaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2( a)and 2(b) are cross-sectional views illustrating the internal structureof the lancet, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a punctureneedle cartridge to be used for the lancet. The lancet for bloodcollection and the puncture needle cartridge are used for collecting asmall amount of blood for measurement of blood sugar or the like.Further, FIGS. 4( a)-4(c) are diagrams for explaining the operation ofsetting a puncture needle onto the lancet body.

With reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2( a) and 2(b), the lancet 1according to the first embodiment of the invention has a body bottomcase 3, a puncture needle holding rod 4 housed in the body bottom case3, a body cover 2, and a puncture needle setting lever 8. In thepuncture needle holding rod 4, a puncture needle 5 is inserted up to apredetermined depth. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, on a puncture needlecartridge or cartridge body 18, a plurality of puncture needles 5 arearranged in a line, and the needles 5 are integrally molded with a frameof the cartridge by one-piece plastic molding. That is, a frame 18 a ofthe puncture needle cartridge 18 is integrally molded with end parts 5 dof the puncture needles 5 and puncture needle holders 5 e for holdingthe puncture needles 5. Each puncture needle 5 has a neck 5 b betweenone end 5 d and the other end 5 c. A puncture needle separation groove 5a is formed in the approximately center of the one end 5 d of thepuncture needle 5. A thin plastic film having a thickness of 1 mm orless (not shown) is formed at the inner bottom of the puncture needleseparation groove 5 a. The one end 5 d of the puncture needle 5 and thepuncture needle holder 5 e are integrally plastic molded with the frame18 a of the puncture needle cartridge 18. A needle itself of thepuncture needle 5 is housed in the one end 5 d of the puncture needle 5.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of the operational proceduresfor attaching the puncture needle 5 to the lancet 1.

Initially, in the state where the puncture needle setting lever 8 is notset (pulled downward), a puncture needle loading inlet 9 of the lancet 1is fitted to the axis of the puncture needle 5 on the puncture needlecartridge 18, and the lancet 1 is pushed (FIG. 4( a)). At this time, inorder to facilitate the operation, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4( d), one ofthe puncture needles 5 arranged in parallel (the one on the left end inFIG. 4( d)) is previously tilted by a predetermined angle from theinitial state. In this state, the lancet 1 is pushed to a position wherethe rear end portion 5 c of the puncture needle 5 that is guided intothe puncture needle holding rod 4 of the lancet 1 presses the bottom ofa puncture needle loading chamber 10 of the puncture needle holding rod4. In this state, the neck (center convex portion) 5 b of the punctureneedle 5 is engaged with puncture needle holding claws 26 that areprovided at the inlet of the puncture needle holding rod 4 (FIG. 4( b)).In the state where the puncture needle 5 is held in the puncture needleholding rod 4 of the lancet 1, if the user tries to back off the lancet1 to separate the lancet 1 from the puncture needle cartridge 18, thelancet 1 performs an operation of pulling apart the puncture needle 5from the puncture needle cartridge 18. In the process of the operationof pulling apart the puncture needle from the cartridge, a force isapplied to the thin plastic film, which is provided in the punctureneedle separation groove 5 a of the one end 5 d of the puncture needle5, to pull off the thin film, and a force against this pulling force isgenerated. When the user further applies a force to separate the lancet1 in addition to the pulling force, the body of the puncture needle 5including the other end 5 c and the rear portion of the one end 5 d ofthe puncture needle 5 is separated from the body of the puncture needlecartridge 18 (FIG. 4( c)).

Thereafter, in order to perform puncture from the state shown in FIG. 4(c), the puncture needle setting lever 8 is tilted upward by apredetermined angle in the direction indicated by arrow A as shown inFIG. 5( a), whereby the lancet 1 is set in a puncture-ready state.Hereinafter, a description will be given of preparation for a punctureoperation, and the puncture operation itself.

Initially, a puncture depth adjustment ring 40 provided at the front endof the lancet 1 is rotated about the axis to shift the position of thepuncture depth adjustment ring 40 in the axis direction of the lancet 1,whereby a predetermined puncture depth of the puncture needle 5 is set.

Then, the puncture needle 5 is loaded in the puncture needle holding rod4 of the lancet 1, and thereafter, the puncture needle setting lever 8is tilted by a predetermined angle in the direction of arrow A, wherebya wheel rotation lever 8 a on the puncture needle setting lever 8 comesinto contact with a set pin 12 on a flywheel to rotate the flywheel 11in the setting direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5( a), i.e.,counterclockwise). At this time, with the rotation of the flywheel 11, awheel engagement pin 16 as a joint between the flywheel 11 and a link 19presses a left-side portion 13 b of a flywheel setting spring 13 so thatthe flywheel setting spring 13 is more compressed. After the flywheelsetting spring 13 has passed through the maximum pressed state, theleft-side portion 13 b of the flywheel setting spring 13 becomesapproximately parallel to the right-side portion 13 a of the flywheel11, and the wheel engagement pin 16 comes into contact with the frontend side portion of a wheel engagement pin stop lever portion 17 a atthe front end of the puncture button 17 that is rotatably supported byan external operation, whereby rotation of the flywheel 11 is stopped,and the lancet 1 is in the puncture-ready state.

As described above, while the flywheel 11 is rotated by a predeterminedangle from the state of FIG. 4( c) to the puncture-ready state shown inFIG. 5( a), the puncture needle holding rod 4 coupled to the flywheel 11is slid in the axis direction of the lancet 1 by the link 19 thatconverts the rotation of the flywheel 11 into the sliding motion of thepuncture needle holding rod 4. During the above operation, the wheelengagement pin 16 on the flywheel 11 and the puncture needle holding rod4 are coupled with each other by the single link 19, and the flywheel 11is rotated only in the predetermined direction (counterclockwise) by thepuncture needle setting lever 8 as described above. Therefore, the wheelengagement pin 16 rotates, at the beginning, so as to move away from thepuncture needle holding rod 4, and the puncture needle holding rod 4sinks into the body of the lancet 1. Thereafter, the flywheel 11 furtherrotates, and the end of the wheel engagement pin 16 is stopped by thefront end side portion of the wheel engagement pin stop lever portion 17a that is the end of the rotatably supported puncture button 17, wherebythe flywheel 11 stops and, simultaneously, the motion of the punctureneedle holding rod 4 also stops, and the flywheel 11 goes into the statewhere the force for rotation, which is obtained by the force of theflywheel setting spring 13, is conserved by the puncture button 17located in the puncture-ready position, and thus setting is completed(FIG. 5( a)).

Next, the puncture operation will be described.

When the user holds the lancet 1 in the state shown in FIG. 5( a) withthe hand as shown in FIG. 7 and presses the puncture button 17, aportion of the puncture button 17 on the wheel engagement pin stop lever17 a side rotates upward, and the wheel engagement pin stop lever 17 apushes the wheel engagement pin 16 to the right in the figure, wherebythe wheel engagement pin 16 moves to the right while slightly rotatingthe flywheel 11 clockwise, and thereby engagement of the wheelengagement pin stop lever 17 a and the wheel engagement pin 16 isreleased. As a result, the flywheel 11, which has conserved the rotationforce obtained by the force of the flywheel setting spring 13, releasesthe force at a stroke, whereby the flywheel 11 rotates about the axis inthe direction of arrow B (counterclockwise).

At this time, the puncture needle holding rod 4, which is connected tothe flywheel 11 by the link 19, linearly moves (slides) outward from theinside of the lancet 1. Thereafter, with the rotation of the flywheel11, the puncture needle 5 protrudes at its maximum from the lancet 1,i.e., the link 19 is positioned in a straight line in the longitudinaldirection of the puncture needle holding rod 4 (FIG. 5( b)), andthereafter, the puncture needle 5 returns to the inside of the lancet 1due to the inertial force of the flywheel 11. During the returningoperation, with the force of the flywheel setting spring 13, the wheelengagement pin 16 at the end of the link 19 reaches a position that ismost distant from the line connecting the rotation center 8 b of thepuncture needle setting lever 8 and the rotation center 11 b of theflywheel 11, and the wheel engagement pin 16 attenuates whilereciprocating with this position in the center until it stops in thisposition, and finally, stops. At this time, it is necessary to preventthe puncture needle holding rod 4 from turning back along the directionin which the puncture needle 5 protrudes from the lancet 1. For thispurpose, the wheel engagement pin 16 is provided with an anti-inverserotation claw 20 that is planted on the bottom case 3 so that motion ofthe wheel engagement pin 16 is not returned to the puncture position,and the engagement between the wheel engagement pin 16 and theanti-inverse rotation claw 20 prevents the flywheel 11 from moving inthe inverse rotation direction (FIG. 5( c)).

Next, a description will be given of the process of discarding thepuncture needle 5 after the puncture operation.

In the state where the above-mentioned puncture operation is completed,the puncture needle loading inlet 9 side of the lancet 1 is insertedinto the lancet guiding member 21 of the puncture needle cartridge 18.At this time, the puncture needle pull-out claw 22 at the end of theinner cylindrical member 23 provided in the lancet guide member 21enters in the neck 5 b of the puncture needle 5 and, simultaneously, theend of the inner cylindrical member 23 having the puncture needlepull-out claw 22 pushes the puncture needle holding claw 26 at the endof the puncture needle holding rod 4 outward as shown in FIG. 6( a),whereby the puncture needle 5 itself is captured in the innercylindrical member 23 (FIG. 6( b)). Thereafter, the lancet 1 is pulledout, whereby the used puncture needle 5 is firmly held in the punctureneedle cartridge 18. Thereafter, the previously used puncture needle 5that is held by the puncture needle cartridge 18 is pushed with a nextused puncture needle 5, then held by the lancet 1, whereby thepreviously used lancet needle 5 held by the cartridge 18 is dropped intoa waste box 24 of the puncture needle cartridge 18, and simultaneously,the next used puncture needle 5 is held by the inner cylindrical member23 of the puncture needle cartridge 18. By repeating this operation oneafter another, the used puncture needles 5 are successively discarded inthe puncture needle cartridge 18. When all of the needles of thecartridge 18 have been used, these needles are discarded in thecartridge 18 or held by the inner cylindrical member 23, and thereafter,the cartridge 18 itself can be discarded.

By performing the discarding operation on the puncture needles 5continuously, i.e., one after another, the puncture needles 5 can bediscarded in the puncture needle cartridge 18.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, on the side surface of the cartridgebody 18 where the lancet guide member 21 exists, there is provided aninsertion slot 25 for discarding a used biological data measurementsensor which has performed measurement of the blood collected by theabove-mentioned puncture operation using the lancet 1, and thebiological data measurement sensor is dropped through the slot 25 intothe cartridge 18, whereby the used puncture needles and the usedmeasurement sensors can be discard together after use.

As described above, in the puncture needle cartridge and the lancet forblood collection according to the first embodiment, only one of theplural puncture needles that are held in the cartridge is tilted at anangle different from those of the remaining needles, and the punctureneedle is attached to the lancet. Therefore, attachment and replacementof the puncture needle can be carried out easily, safely, and reliablywithout being bothered by the adjacent needles. Furthermore, when thepuncture needle is attached to the lancet, the neck of the punctureneedle is held by the puncture needle holding claw, and the punctureneedle that is integrally molded with the cartridge is pulled off.Therefore, attachment of the puncture needle can be safely carried outwithout dropping the needle, in a hygienically favorable state.Moreover, since the used needles and biosensors are collected in thebottom case of the cartridge, the discarded needles and biosensors canbe stored together with the cartridge, thereby making the volume ofwaste compact.

Embodiment 2

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a puncture needle cartridgeaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is anexternal perspective view of the puncture needle cartridge with a slidecover being detached. FIG. 10( a) is an external perspective view of theslide cover of the puncture needle cartridge. FIG. 12 is an externalperspective view of the puncture needle cartridge with the slide coverbeing closed.

With reference to FIGS. 8, 9, 10(a), and 12, the puncture needlecartridge 68 according to the second embodiment comprises a bottom case53 in which a plurality of puncture needles 55 are arranged in parallel,with an end of each puncture needle being integrally coupled to an innerwall of the cartridge 68. A slide cover 52 is attached slidably withrespect to the bottom case 53 so as to close an upper opening of thebottom case 53.

The bottom case 53 of the puncture needle cartridge 68 has an inner wall68 a which is integrally plastic-molded with the respective ends 55 d ofthe plural puncture needles 55 arranged in a line in the bottom case 53,and puncture needle holders 55 e for holding the needles 55. Eachpuncture needle 55 has a neck 5 b between one end 55 d and the other end55 c. A puncture needle separation grove 5 a is formed in theapproximately center of the one end 55 d of the puncture needle 55. Athin plastic film having a thickness of 0.1 mm or less (not shown) isformed at the internal bottom of the puncture needle separation groove55 a. The one end 55 d of each puncture needle 55 and the punctureneedle holder 5 e are integrally plastic-molded with the inner wall 68 athat is a side wall of the bottom case 53. A needle itself of thepuncture needle 55 is housed in the other end 55 d of the punctureneedle 55.

Further, the slide cover 52 has a puncture needle support 52 a, forsupporting the puncture needles 55 from the bottom, integrally moldedwith the slide cover 55. The puncture needle support 52 a has a convexportion 56 at a front end, and the convex portion 56 pushes up theplural puncture needles 55 one by one at a predetermined angle when theslide cover 52 slides along the bottom case 53.

Furthermore, a lancet guide member 71 for guiding an end portion of thelancet 51 holding the puncture needle 55, and an inner cylindricalmember 73 into which the held puncture needle 55 is to be inserted,which members provide a mechanism for capturing and holding a usedpuncture needle, are provided on a side surface of the bottom case 53,that is, a front wall 53 d that is perpendicular to the side surfacewhere the plural puncture needles 55 are arranged in one plane. In thevicinity of the lancet guide member 71, a biosensor insertion slotthrough which used biosensors are discarded is provided. Further, awaste box 53 b connected to the inner cylindrical member 73 and theinsertion slot 75 are provided inside the front wall 53 d of the bottomcase 53.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of an operation method usingthe puncture needle cartridge according to the second embodiment, i.e.,a method of attaching a puncture needle to the lancet using thecartridge, a method of performing puncture using the lancet with thelancet needle, and a method of discarding the used puncture needle.

FIGS. 10( b)˜10(e) are schematic diagrams for explaining usagedirections for the puncture needle cartridge according to the secondembodiment, and FIGS. 11( a)˜11(c) are diagrams for explaining how toattach the puncture needle held by the puncture needle cartridge to thelancet.

The lancet 51 is identical in construction to the lancet 1 according tothe first embodiment shown in FIGS. 4( a)˜4(c) and 5(a)˜5(c). As shownin FIG. 11( a), the lancet 51 comprises a puncture needle holding rod 54having a puncture needle loading chamber 60 which is approximatelycylindrical in shape, and puncture needle holding claws 76; a flywheel61 that is rotatably supported by the case of the lancet 51; a flywheelspring 63 for applying a force to rotate the flywheel 61; a connectinglink 69 for converting rotation of the flywheel 61 into linear motion ofthe puncture needle holding rod 54; a puncture needle setting lever 58for preparing the lancet 51 for puncture operation; a puncture button 67for starting puncture operation from the puncture-ready state; and apuncture depth adjustment ring 80 for adjusting the depth to which thepuncture needle 55 is inserted.

The slide cover 52 of the puncture needle cartridge 68, in the stateshown in FIG. 12, is slid to open the aperture of the bottom case sothat the plural puncture needles 55 are exposed as shown in FIG. 8 or 9.Thereafter, the slide cover 52 is fitted to the bottom case 53 and slidin the direction that closes the bottom case 53, whereby the ends of theplural puncture needles 55 are pushed up one by one at a predeterminedangle by the convex portion 56 which is formed at the front end of thepuncture needle support 52 a that is integrally molded with the slidecover 52 and supports the puncture needles from the bottom, as shown inFIGS. 10( b)˜10(d).

Accordingly, in order to attach the puncture needle to the lancet, thepuncture needle 55, one end of which is pushed upward at a predeterminedangle, is attached to the lancet 51. More specifically, as shown in FIG.11( a), the center axis of the puncture needle loading chamber 60 of thelancet 51 is aligned with the axis of the puncture needle 55, one end ofwhich is pushed up at a predetermined angle on the puncture needlecartridge 68, and the lancet 51 is pushed against the puncture needle55, whereby the puncture needle 55 enters into the approximatelycylindrical puncture needle loading chamber 60 through an aperture 80 aof the puncture depth adjustment ring 80. Then, the puncture needle 55guided into the puncture needle holding rod 54 is press-fitted into thepuncture needle loading chamber 60 until the rear end portion 55 cthereof hits the bottom surface of the puncture needle loading chamber60. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11( b), the neck 55 b of the punctureneedle 55 is engaged with the puncture needle holding claws 76. When theuser tries to separate the lancet 51 from the puncture needle cartridge68, a pulling force is applied to the thin plastic film that is providedin the puncture needle separation groove 55 a and, simultaneously, adrag against this force occurs in the thin film. When the user furtherapplies a force against this drag to separate the lancet 51, the one end55 d of the puncture needle 55 is separated into a front part and a rearpart, and removed from the base part 55 e. Thus, the puncture needlebody having the other end 55 c and the rear part of the one end 55 d ofthe puncture needle 55 is separated from the puncture needle cartridge68, and the lancet 51 holds the puncture needle body as shown in FIG.11( c).

Thereafter, as already described for the first embodiment, the punctureneedle setting lever 58 is tilted by a predetermined angle in directionA to perform a puncture preparation operation, and then the puncturebutton 67 is pressed to protrude the puncture needle holding rod 54 fromthe inside of the lancet 51 to the outside, thereby enabling a punctureoperation.

Further, a method of discarding a used puncture needle 5 after thepuncture operation is similar to that described for the firstembodiment. More specifically, in this second embodiment, a usedpuncture needle holding mechanism is provided on a front wall of thebottom cover 53, which is a side surface perpendicular to an inner wall68 a of the bottom cover 53 on which the plural puncture needles 55 arearranged within one plane. After the puncture operation, the puncturedepth adjustment ring 80 side of the lancet 51 is inserted into thelancet guide member 71 of the lancet needle cartridge 68, whereby theend of the inner cylindrical member 73 pushes the lancet needle holdingclaws 76 outward, and simultaneously, the lancet needle pull-out claws72 are engaged with the neck 55 b of the puncture needle. Thereafter,the lancet 51 is pulled out, whereby the puncture needle 55 is held bythe puncture needle holding mechanism provided at the surface of thefront wall of the bottom cover 53.

Further, as described for the first embodiment, after one used punctureneedle is discarded as described above by the used puncture needleholding mechanism having the lancet guide member 71 and the innercylindrical member 73, this previously discarded puncture needle 55 ispushed with the next used puncture needle 55 which is held by the lancet51, whereby the previously used puncture needle 55 is dropped into thewaste box 53 b in the bottom cover 53, and the next used puncture needle55 is held by the inner cylindrical member 23 at the front surface ofthe bottom cover 53 to be discarded.

In the vicinity of the used puncture needle holding mechanism comprisingthe lancet guide member 71 and the inner cylindrical member 73, there isprovided an insertion slot 75 connected to the waste box, through whicha used biological data measurement sensor which has been used formeasuring the blood collected with the puncture needle is dropped.Therefore, the used biological data measurement sensor after themeasurement of the biological data from the collected blood can bedropped through the insertion slot 75 to be discarded.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention, only one of the plural puncture needles that are held in thepuncture needle cartridge is tilted upward at a predetermined angle, andthe puncture needle is attached to the lancet. Therefore, attachment andreplacement of the puncture needle can be carried out easily, safely,and reliably without being bothered by the adjacent needles.Furthermore, when a puncture needle is attached to the lancet, the neckof the puncture needle is held by the puncture needle holding claws, andthe puncture needle integrally molded with the cartridge is pulled off.Therefore, attachment of the puncture needle can be safely carried outwithout dropping the needle, in a hygienically favorable state.Moreover, since the used needles and biosensors are collected in thepuncture needle cartridge, the discarded needles and biosensors can bestored together with the cartridge, thereby making the volume of wastecompact.

The present invention provides a lancet for blood collection which isused for measuring blood sugar and has a construction for taking out apuncture needle one by one from plural puncture needles, and it isuseful for measurement of blood sugar or the like.

1. A puncture needle cartridge comprising: a single substrate; aplurality of puncture needles, each being integrally formed by plasticmolding, arranged in a line on the single substrate, with front endsthereof being integrally plastic-molded with the substrate, and rearends of the respective puncture needles being free ends; a waste box fora used puncture needle formed with the single substrate, the waste boxbeing separated from the integrally formed puncture needles; and apuncture needle holding mechanism for capturing and holding a usedpuncture needle, the puncture needle holding mechanism being disposed ona side surface of the single substrate, wherein each of the respectivepuncture needles has a stopping part configured to engage punctureneedle holding claws of the lancet, the stopping part including arecessed portion, a front stepped portion, and a rear stepped portion,the front stepped portion being formed between a front portion of therespective puncture needle and the recessed portion, the rear steppedportion being formed between a rear portion of the respective punctureneedle and the recessed portion, wherein the puncture needle holdingmechanism includes a puncture needle pull-out claw for engaging thestopping part of the respective puncture needle so as to hold therespective puncture needle, wherein the puncture needle holdingmechanism is configured such that when a used puncture needle held bythe puncture needle holding mechanism is externally pressed by anotherused puncture needle that is held by a lancet, the previously usedpuncture needle that is held by the puncture needle holding mechanism isdropped into the waste box of the puncture needle cartridge to bediscarded, and wherein the puncture needle holding mechanism isconfigured such that when the lancet that holds a used puncture needleis pressed against the puncture needle holding mechanism, the punctureneedle holding mechanism captures the used puncture needle held by thelancet and causes the lancet to release the used puncture needle, andsuch that when the lancet is drawn away from the puncture needle holdingmechanism, the puncture needle holding mechanism holds the used punctureneedle.
 2. A puncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein thepuncture needles are independent of one another, and the front ends ofthe respective puncture needles are connected to the substrate withflexibility so that one of the puncture needles, which are arranged inparallel within one plane, can be tilted downward or upward to a statewhere the puncture needle intersects the plane.
 3. A puncture needlecartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality ofpuncture needles has a cap at the front end thereof such that when thepuncture needle is twisted by an inner bottom of a puncture needleholding rod provided in the lancet, which rod holds the rear end of thepuncture needle and prevents rotation through a rotation preventionmechanism that serves as a rotation stop for the rear end of thepuncture needle, the cap is exposed at the front end of the punctureneedle.
 4. A puncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein thesubstrate has an insertion slot connected to the waste box through whicha used biological data measurement sensor that has been used formeasurement of biological data from the collected blood is dropped.
 5. Apuncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 1 wherein the punctureneedle holding mechanism includes an inner cylindrical member formed onthe side surface of the substrate and puncture needle pull-out clawsformed at an end of the inner cylindrical member, and the punctureneedle holding mechanism is configured to capture and hold the usedpuncture needle by causing the end of the inner cylindrical member topush the puncture needle holding claws of the lancet outward, and bycausing the puncture needle pull-out claws to project into the stoppingconcave part when the lancet is pressed against the puncture needleholding mechanism.
 6. A puncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 1wherein the puncture needle pull-out claw of the puncture needle holdingmechanism is operable to engage the stopping part such that therespective puncture needle is held by the puncture needle holdingmechanism until the rear stepped portion is pressed beyond the punctureneedle pull-out claw.
 7. A puncture needle cartridge comprising: asubstrate; a plurality of puncture needles arranged in a line on thesubstrate, with front ends thereof being integrally plastic-molded withthe substrate, and rear ends of the respective puncture needles beingfree ends; and a waste box for a used puncture needle formed with thesubstrate, the waste box being separated from the integrally formedpuncture needles; and a puncture needle holding mechanism for capturingand holding a used puncture needle, the puncture needle holdingmechanism being disposed on a side surface of the substrate, thepuncture needle holding mechanism including an inner cylinder member,wherein the puncture needle holding mechanism is configured such thatwhen the lancet that holds a used puncture needle is pressed against thepuncture needle holding mechanism, the puncture needle holding mechanismcaptures the used puncture needle held by the lancet and causes thelancet to release the used puncture needle, and such that when thelancet is drawn away from the puncture needle holding mechanism, thepuncture needle holding mechanism holds the used puncture needle,wherein the puncture needle holding mechanism is configured such thatwhen a used puncture needle held by the puncture needle holdingmechanism is externally pressed by another used puncture needle that isheld by a lancet, the previously used puncture needle that is held bythe puncture needle holding mechanism is dropped into the waste box tobe discarded, and wherein the inner cylinder member of the punctureneedle holding mechanism has a length extending outwardly away from anouter surface of said waste box such the previously used puncture needleis not dropped into the waste box to be discarded until the previouslyused puncture needle is externally pressed.
 8. A puncture needlecartridge as defined in claim 7 wherein the plurality of punctureneedles are independent of one another, and the front ends of therespective puncture needles are connected to the substrate withflexibility such that the respective puncture needles are tiltabledownward or upward.
 9. A puncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 7wherein the substrate has an insertion slot connected to the waste boxthrough which a used biological data measurement sensor that has beenused for measurement of biological data from the collected blood isdropped.
 10. A puncture needle cartridge as defined in claim 7 whereinthe puncture needle holding mechanism includes puncture needle pull-outclaws formed at an end of the inner cylindrical member, and the punctureneedle holding mechanism is configured to capture and hold the usedpuncture needle by causing the end of the inner cylindrical member topush puncture needle holding claws of the lancet outward, and by causingthe puncture needle pull-out claws to project into the stopping concavepart when the lancet is pressed against the puncture needle holdingmechanism.